FILM

    Secret Cinema: Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)

    Secret Cinema: Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935) Image gallery

    Presented by University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum)

    November 16, 2011


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    Head to the Penn Museum for a Secret Cinema film screening of Charlie Chan in Egypt.

    Swedish-born actor Warner Oland stars in this evocative early entry in the long-lived Charlie Chan series, which finds the proverb-quoting Chinese sleuth travelling to Cairo (via airplane and mule). There he investigates missing ancient treasures and a murdered archaeologist whose body is discovered inside a sarcophagus.

    The film effectively combines mystery and horror genre elements, and its plot about stolen antiquities landing in European museums touches on the then little-discussed subject of museum ethics. Conversely, the film is rich in dated depictions of race, most strikingly so in the character of Chan's slow-paced comic sidekick, played by notorious black character actor Stepin Fetchit. Film historian William K. Everson wrote that Charlie Chan in Egypt was "easily the best" in the Chan series: "Effective use of background music, good set design, and superb camerawork created some genuinely nightmarish sequences which are still chilling today."


    • At-a-
      Glance

      • Venue Info

        University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum)

        3260 South Street
        Philadelphia, PA 19104

        Full map and directions

      • Admission Info

        Tickets:

        FREE! with Museum admission.

        Info Phone: 215-898-2680

      • Dates & Times

        Dates:
        November 16, 2011

        Times:

        6 pm


      • Accessibility Info

          Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.


      • Site Credits

             

         

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